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Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins joined the team for the recent road trip in Seattle. He spoke to Canadian reporters in between conducting phone interviews for a new director of amateur scouting. According to the rookie GM, the list that had originally been 10, to replace the fired Brian Parker, had by Wednesday been reduced to six with a final decision to be made sometime over the next week.

While manager John Gibbons and right-hander Aaron Sanchez both believe that the club-created crisis surrounding the 24-year-old’s innings limit has passed, feeling he will finally be able to make every start and working every five days through the playoffs, Atkins subtly suggested not to assume anything.

Sanchez, since facing the Indians on Aug. 21, has made just four starts in 33 days. He was shut down for 10 days, optioned to Class A Dunedin to end the month of August. Then, with rosters expanded, he had nine days off between starts prior to facing Felix Hernandez and the M’s. He has logged 179 innings in 29 starts. His previous pro high was 133 1/3 combined innings in three stops in 2014.

Sanchez is next scheduled to pitch Tuesday, then again on the final day against the Red Sox at Fenway. However if the Jays are locked into a wild card or, somewhat less likely, have clinched the AL East, and Sunday’s result is meaningless, Sanchez would be backed off to start the AL wild card or ALDS Game 1. In either case, if the Jays advance all the way to the World Series, Sanchez could have seven more starts.

Recall during a highly-publicized interview with MLB radio in mid-August, Jays president Mark Shapiro had put a definite number on it, suggesting there is no way that his future No. 1 would exceed 220 innings in 2016. Won’t happen.

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“I know Mark said that there’s a threshold we would not go past,” Atkins said Wednesday. “I think our intention there is we have to be very thoughtful and mindful of how he’s feeling, how he’s recovering and getting to a point where we can’t let emotion take over. We will do that with Aaron and make those decisions what’s best for the organization, while incorporating his future.”

Sanchez, to this point in 2016, is averaging more than 6 1/3 innings per start. If he was to make the final seven starts, averaging a realistic seven innings, his projected total could reach 228 innings. A decision might be made, if the Jays stick to their guns. Shut him down in the World Series.

“Like I’ve said from the beginning, every start we’ll assess,” Atkins said, without addressing the specifics. “How he does, like the start he came up with the finger (blister). It made sense to give him a blow at this point.

“We’ll manage it start to start. But the gloves have been off all year. So our gloves are still off when it comes to the opportunities in front of him, as long as he’s recovering well and healthy, then he should continue to pitch. There’s just a lot of information in and around that recovery.”

Of course Jays fans and players would love it to reach that actual point of decision having to make a call on pitching Sanchez in a Game 5 of the World Series.

Atkins also explained the hiring of former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, how the two men are familiar, how they will work together. The Jays hired Cherington two weeks ago to the position of vice-president, baseball operations.

“I’ve had a relationship with Ben since my first year in a front office (2000),” Atkins explained. “I’ve stayed in touch and a lot of our relationship has been based on player development. We share a lot of the same thoughts and vision for how to make a difference in player development.”

“One of the things I’ve learned this year is how demanding it is being with a major-league team, trying to help the major-league staff, help our players. It’s the time that I don’t have thinking about (prospects) Vladimir Guerrero, thinking abut Conner Greene and now Ben Cherington will be taking on a lot of that.

“Having said that, he’s going to help me, help us in every single facet of baseball operations, his experiences as a GM, with emphasis and passion for amateur scouting. He has a keen understanding for free-agent negotiations, the trade market. Having been in the market (in Boston) that he was in and having developed (as a GM) there is a huge asset for us.”

When MLB rosters stood at 25 prior to Sept. 1, the Jays were statistically, on average, the oldest group in baseball. Of course that includes a couple of 39-year-old relievers, Joaquin Benoit and Jason Grilli, and a 41-year-old starter, R.A. Dickey. Atkins spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of a veteran roster.

“From the start of the season a lot of people have talked about youth vs. experience,” Atkins said. “I think that there’s benefits and there’s limitations to both of those things. What I can tell you though is if you get into the playoffs after a season of 162, I’ll take experience over youth. Getting in is the hard part and that’s where youth is powerful because of recovery, because of resiliency, but the mental resiliency of experience is what we’re seeing right now.”

Here’s the Jays bad news. The magic number for the Red Sox, after Thursday night’s 5-3 win in Baltimore, to clinch the division before the Jays even arrive at Fenway is five. Any combination of Sox wins and Jays losses adding up to five eliminates Toronto in the AL East, leaving them looking at a wild card.

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